The 1st Tank Battalion Day falls on August 19, commemorating the victorious battle for Hill 262, known as the Mace, in which the 1st Armored Division took part. On the same day, the soldiers of the 1st Armoured Regiment, whose traditions are cultivated by the Świętoszów battalion, celebrated their day.
This year, the celebrations were postponed by 10 days because of the celebrations of Polish Army Day and the parade of troops and equipment, which was also attended by tank crews.
Last Friday, the entire personnel of the subunit assembled on the parade ground at the Leopard Training Centre. In addition to soldiers and their families, the ceremony was attended by honorary guests: former 1st Armoured Regiment soldier Edmund Semrau and his wife, director of the General Stanisław Maczek Vocational School Complex in Koronowo Stanisław Rybczyński with the school’s colour guard, daughter of Bogdan Janowski— a soldier of the 1st Armoured Regiment— Hanna Silna, donor of a replica of the 1st Tank Battalion standard Krzysztof Grabiec, and Świętoszów village head Leszek Luniak. Also present on the parade ground were: deputy commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, Colonel Dariusz Nawrocki, the brigade’s chief of staff and former commander of the 1st Tank Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Bogdan Rycerski, commander of the 1st Tank Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Paweł Michalski, and chaplain, Major Rafał Kaproń.
The celebrations began with a report presented to Lieutenant Colonel Michalski by the ceremony commander, chief of staff of the 1st Tank Battalion, Major Zbigniew Marchlewicz. After the troop inspection and the raising of the national flag, the battalion commander presented his soldiers with medals, distinctions, letters of congratulations and commemorative battalion gorgets.
A special moment was the presentation of a commemorative gorget bearing an image of General Maczek and the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade logo to Edmund Semrau by the brigade’s deputy commander. A battalion commemorative gorget was also presented to former 1st Tank Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Rycerski.
Commemorative badges were also presented during the assembly. They are faithful replicas of the original badges of the 1st Armoured Regiment. Badge number 001 went to Lieutenant Colonel Michalski, and it was presented to him by Mr Semrau.
The guests who spoke afterward focused on the history of the 1st Armoured Regiment and its proud traditions. Edmund Semrau called on the soldiers of the 1st Tank Battalion not to lose their armoured spirit and to wear the commemorative badge with pride: “To the soldiers and commanders, friends and supporters of the 10th Brigade, I wish health and peace, many reasons for joy, success in carrying out your duties and satisfaction from their completion.
A great surprise was the speech by Hanna Silna, who embroidered the logo of the 1st Armoured Regiment in cross-stitch against the background of the brigade badge and presented it to the 1st Tank Battalion commander. At the bottom of the frame containing the embroidery, the author wrote: … as a token of gratitude for remembering the deceased and living officers and soldiers of the 1st Armoured Regiment and their families.
The commander of the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Paweł Michalski, then assured the guests that remembrance and care for tradition were being maintained: “Today we pay tribute to the heroic armoured crews of General Maczek. At the same time, bearing in mind the proud traditions of the Polish armoured forces, we shape patriotic attitudes through our conduct every day. I state with pride that the soldiers of the 1st Tank Battalion perform their duties to a high standard, both here at home and abroad. We take part in stabilization missions in Iraq, rotations IV and VIII; the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan, rotations I, VIII and XIV; as well as the Polish Military Contingent in Chad. We often shed blood defending values and fighting global terrorism. We took part in the most important exercises from 1992 to 2014. The battalion was recognized three times as a Model Subunit of the Land Forces. Our crews won the world championships for Leopard 2A4 tank crews, the Swiss Tank Challenge in Switzerland, twice. We were the first to replace the T-72 tank with the Leopard 2A4, setting examples and developing many elements necessary for operating this equipment. The 1st Battalion trains highly capable professionals who subsequently serve in various branches of the armed forces as instructors. It is thanks to the commitment and hard work of this battalion’s soldiers that the subunit performs at such a high level. Soldiers, thank you for your service, effort, dedication and diligence.
The celebrations concluded with a family picnic featuring many attractions, from soldiers’ pea soup and sausages, through horseback riding and inflatable castles for the youngest participants, to the opportunity to see the tank crews’ pride—the Leopard tank—from close up.
Katarzyna Przepióra/ii